Method and system for meniscal repair using suture implant cinch construct

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for repairing tears in soft tissue, e.g., meniscal tissue, by employing cinch stitching. More specifically, the present invention provides apparatus and methods for meniscal repair using a suture implant construct. The suture implant construct includes a first and second implant which are connected to each other via a length of suture. The implants are designed to be loaded on external surfaces of the first and second trocars.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/033,644, filed Mar. 4, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods of arthroscopic surgery and, more specifically, to an improved method of repairing tears in tissue, such as meniscal tissue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tissue repair requires the surgeon to pass suture material through selected tissue, form a plurality of surgical knots extracorporeally and then move the knots into position adjacent the desired tissue to be sutured. In such procedures, the surgeon must manually tie the knots on the suture strands after the suture is threaded through the selected tissues to be sutured. Knot tying during surgery, particularly arthroscopic surgery, is tedious and time-consuming. There is also a tendency for the knots to deform or collapse as the surgeon manually forces the knots down into the proper position.

Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method of repairing tears in soft tissue (such as the meniscus) which does not require multiple suture knots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for repairing tears in soft tissue, e.g., meniscal tissue, by employing cinch stitching. More specifically, the present invention provides apparatus and methods for meniscal repair using a suture implant construct. The suture implant construct comprises a first and second implant which are connected to each other via a length of suture. The implants are designed to be loaded on external surfaces of the first and second trocars.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a first and second trocars of a meniscal cinch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the depth stop to be assembled to the first and second trocars of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of first and second trocars of FIG. 1 (with a depth stop attached);

FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of the detail A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention with a first and second implant seated;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the first implant of the meniscal cinch assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the second implant of the meniscal cinch assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of the first and second implants of the meniscal cinch assembly of FIG. 6, connected by a flexible strand;

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention with a first and second implant seated;

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the first and second trocars of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention, prior to sliding the trocar/suture assembly within the delivery hand piece;

FIG. 12 illustrates another perspective view of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates another perspective view of the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of an implant used with the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a side view of the implant of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 illustrates a lateral view of the implant of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 illustrates a bottom view of the implant of FIG. 14;

FIGS. 18-24 illustrates various steps in the formation of a knot assembly suture construct used with the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention; and

FIGS. 25-35 illustrate various steps of a method of arthroscopic repair using the meniscal cinch assembly of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to various specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be employed, and that structural and logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides methods and systems for repairing tears in soft tissue (such as the meniscus) employing cinch stitching. In particular embodiments, the present invention provides a meniscal cinch assembly comprising first and second trocars, a depth stop adapted to securely engage one of the trocars, and a suture implant construct configured to be loaded onto external surfaces of the first and second trocars of the meniscal cinch assembly.

The suture implant construct of the present invention comprises a first and second implant which are connected to each other via a length of suture. The implants are designed to be loaded on external surfaces of the first and second trocars. Each implant has a through-hole running in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the implant and through which suture is inserted. As detailed below, the implants are configured with opposing planar end faces that are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the implant.

The present invention also provides methods for soft tissue fixation (such as mensical repair, for example) by cinch stitching. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a meniscal cinch assembly comprising first and second trocars, a depth stop adapted to securely engage one of the trocars, and a suture implant construct having first and second implants loaded on the external surface of the first and second trocars; and (ii) passing at least one of the first and second implants through tissue to be repaired (for example, labral tissue of the glenoid or meniscal knee tissue).

Referring now to the drawings, where like elements are designated by like reference numerals, FIGS. 1-13 illustrate a meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention (comprising first and second trocars 10, 20; depth stop 30; and first and second implants 40, 50). FIGS. 14-17 illustrate implant 40 used with the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention. FIGS. 18-23 illustrate various steps in the formation of a knot assembly suture construct 60 (comprising first and second implants 40, 50 attached by a flexible strand 45) used with the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention. FIG. 24 illustrates the final knot assembly suture construct 60 of FIG. 23. FIGS. 25-35 illustrate various steps of a method of arthroscopic repair using the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1-13 which illustrate meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention including an actuating mechanism configured to operate a suture implant construct. As shown in the drawings, meniscal cinch assembly 100 (FIGS. 5, 12 and 13) comprises a push rod assembly 110 (a trocar assembly 110) (FIGS. 1-4), a suture implant construct 60 (FIG. 9) fully seated onto the trocar assembly 110, and a delivery system 120 (FIG. 11) for releasing and advancing implants of the suture implant construct 60 onto the exterior surface of a meniscus.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, trocar assembly 110 of the meniscal cinch assembly 100 comprises a first trocar 10 in communication with a second trocar 20, the first and second trocars being designed to carry onto their external surfaces a first implant 40 (on the first trocar 10) and a second implant 50 (on the second trocar 20).

FIG. 2 illustrates depth stop 30 of the meniscal cinch assembly 100 comprising an upper slot 31, a lower slot 33, and a depth slot 35. Depth stop 30 is designed to ensure appropriate release of the first and second implants 40, 50 into the meniscal tissue to be repaired (i.e., it limits the protrusion distance of the implant loaded trocar beyond the tip of the meniscal cinch cannula 100). Uncontrolled advancement of the implants into the damaged meniscal tissue may have unwanted consequences and may require additional repair steps.

In use, the second trocar 20 is slid into the bottom hole of the depth stop 30 to machined groove 37 (FIGS. 1 and 3) and snapped upward into the upper slot 31 of depth stop 30 to secure (see detail A of FIG. 4). The first trocar 10 is slid into the bottom hole of the depth stop 30 until the handle mates with depth stop 30, as shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6-10 illustrate the suture construct 60 with connected first and second implants 40, 50 mounted on the first and second trocars 10, 20. The suture construct is assembled to the first and second trocars 10, 20 by sliding the long lead first implant 40 onto the first trocar 10, oriented and fully seated as shown in FIG. 7 (detail B). Without twisting the suture leads, short lead second implant 50 is slid onto the second trocar 20, oriented and fully seated as shown in FIG. 8 (detail C). With implants 40, 50 fully seated, ensure that slight suture slack between implants is acceptable, and also that the suture is laying against the trocars 10, 20 and the free end is not twisted around the suture construct, trocars or depth stop. The sliding knot must not be tensioned tight and located beyond the second implant. Preferably, the construct 60 is loose and tangle free before insertion.

The implants 40, 50 may be formed of PEEK or similar material and flexible strand 45 may be a suture and/or may comprise a bioabsorbable material, such as PLLA or one of the other polylactides, for example, and/or may be formed of twisted fibers having strands of a contrasting color added to the braided threads, to make the suture more visible during surgical procedures. In exemplary embodiments, strand 45 may contain strands of a high strength suture material, such as Arthrex FiberWire® suture disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,234, incorporated herein by reference.

Reference is made to FIGS. 11-13. The subassembly 110 of FIG. 10 is slid into appropriate holes 122 and ratchet grooves 124 of delivery device 120 (FIG. 11) to obtain the meniscal cinch assembly 100 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The subassembly 110 is slid in until reaching depth stop 30. The tabs 38 of depth stop 30 are squeezed together to advance the subassembly 110 to first ratchet tooth 128 (FIG. 12). The tabs 38 of the stop depth 20 are then released to secure the subassembly in the docked position.

As detailed below, when the first trocar is pulled from the meniscus, the first implant 40 makes contact with the mensical tissue and, as a result, is released from the exterior surface of the first trocar 10. As the first implant 40 is released from the exterior surface of the first trocar 10, it flips about 90-degrees and becomes secured on the exterior surface of the meniscus. The first trocar 10 is then fully removed from the cannula. The operation is repeated with the second trocar 20 loaded with the second implant 50. Once the second implant 50 is released, the implant flips about 90-degrees and becomes secured on the exterior surface of the meniscus adjacent to the first implant 40. The meniscal cinch assembly is then removed from the knee.

FIGS. 14-17 illustrates various views of implant 40 used with the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, for example, the implant has a cannulation 42 in a direction about parallel to the longitudinal axis 43 of the implant and through which suture is inserted. The implant also has opposing end faces 46, 48 (FIG. 14) that are about perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the implant.

FIGS. 18-24 illustrate various steps in the formation of a knot assembly suture construct 60 (comprising first and second implants 40, 50 attached by a strand 45) used with the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention. FIG. 24 illustrates the final knot assembly suture construct 60 of FIG. 23. Knot assembly suture construct 60 withstands about 45N tensile pull test.

In use, a single braided implant construct is threaded onto prebraided long suture 45 (for example, an 18 inch suture) oriented as shown in FIG. 18. The right tail lead is wrapped under the post, as shown in FIG. 19. The tail lead is wrapped over the post and passed through opening exiting out under the right lead, as shown in FIG. 20. The tail is wrapped around the right lead and post, as shown in FIG. 21. The tail is wrapped around the post back toward opening and over cross lead, as illustrated in FIG. 22. The tail is tucked in the second opening, exiting out under the right lead (FIG. 23). The sliding knot is tensioned down to the desired dimension (FIG. 24) to obtain the final construct 60.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 25-35 which illustrate various steps of a method of arthroscopic repair using the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention. The methods of the present invention distribute suture pressure to tissue, reduce tissue cut, and allow for accelerated tissue healing that is achieved with minimal knot tying.

For exemplary purposes only, the invention will be described below with reference to an arthroscopic meniscal knee joint repair. However, the invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment and has applicability to any reattachment of tissue to tissue (for example, reattachment of labral tissue (cartilage) to the glenoid).

FIGS. 25-35

The repair 200 (FIG. 35) according to an exemplary cinch stitching technique of the present invention includes the following steps:

-   -   FIG. 25: The meniscal cinch is designed to be used through a low         arthroscopic portal, near the surface of the tibia 210. A         measurement is taken to approximate the distance between the         entry point of the implant 40, 50 to the knee capsule. The         measurement can be taken with either a measurement probe or the         graduated tip of the meniscal cinch cannula (where each line         represents about 2 mm).     -   FIG. 26: The depth stop 30 on the meniscal cinch handle is set         to the distance measured above, by squeezing the tips together         and sliding the depth stop 30 forward. The depth stop 30 is set         to a distance about equal to the measurement in the step of         FIG. 25. Each line on the handle represents about 2 mm.     -   FIG. 27: A cannula (for example, a shoehorn cannula) may be         placed into the working portal before inserting the meniscal         cinch device 100. Place the tip of the meniscal cinch cannula         near the tear. The tip of the cannula may be used to reduce the         tear prior to deployment of the first trocar 10. Alternatively,         the tip of the first trocar may be advanced past the tip of the         cannula to be used to reduce the tear. The trocar should not be         pulled back into the cannula after it has been advanced as it         could prematurely deploy the implant.     -   FIG. 28: The tip of the meniscal cinch cannula is placed in         contact with, but does not pierce, the meniscus near the         meniscal tear. The first implant 40 is advanced through the         meniscus by pushing the first trocar 10 forward until the trocar         handle makes contact with the depth stop 30 and the cannula         rests on the surface of the meniscus. As the first trocar 10 is         pulled from the meniscus, the first implant 40 makes contact         with the meniscal tissue and as a result is released from the         exterior surface of the first trocar 10. As the first implant 40         is released from the exterior surface of the first trocar 10, it         flips about 90-degrees and becomes secured on the exterior         surface of the meniscus.     -   FIG. 29: The first trocar 10 is then removed from the cannula         completely. A slight downward force on the first trocar 10         during removal ensures that it does not interfere with the         second trocar 20.     -   FIG. 30: Push down on the second trocar 20, to release it from         the holding position. Next, the tip of the cannula is moved to         the second insertion point so that the tip of the cannula is in         contact with, but does not pierce, the meniscus.     -   FIGS. 31 and 32: The second trocar 20 is advanced forward by         pushing the trocar handle. The second trocar 20 is advanced         through the meniscus until the trocar handle makes contact with         the depth stop 30 and the cannula rests on the surface of the         meniscus. Suture slack created by advancing the second trocar 20         may be reduced partially by gently tensioning external suture         near the handle. Stop tensioning if resistance is felt.     -   FIG. 33: The second trocar 20 is then fully removed from the         cannula. While the second trocar 20 is being removed, the second         implant 50 is released from the exterior surface of the second         trocar 20. The second implant 50 then flips 90-degrees and         becomes secured on the exterior surface of the meniscus adjacent         to the first implant 40. The meniscal cinch assembly 100 is then         removed from the joint. The external suture is tensioned to         advance the knot to the meniscus.     -   FIG. 34: The external suture is threaded through the tip of a         suture passing instrument 150 such as a knot pusher-suture         cutter instrument 150. The knot is pushed while pulling tension         on the free end of suture. The knot is advanced until it is         countersunk into the meniscal tissue.     -   FIG. 35: The trigger on the handle of the knot pusher-suture         cutter 150 is then advanced to cut the suture (the suture is         pulled in line with the cutter 150 and rotation of handle is         avoided while suture is cut). The cutter is removed to obtain         the final construct 200 (with the implants in a horizontal         orientation). Alternatively, the implants may be inserted in a         vertical orientation (a vertical mattress stitch).

The meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention allows surgeons to repair meniscus tears with an all-inside arthroscopic technique eliminating the need for accessory incisions required for traditional inside/out techniques that often result in additional morbidity. Based on the tear pattern and location, the meniscal cinch assembly 100 of the present invention gives surgeons the option of horizontal or vertical mattress repair with a flexible strand (such as a #2 FiberWire suture, for example). The present sliding knot and the FiberWire properties create a secure, low profile knot that can be countersunk into the meniscus. Depending on the exact location and pattern, posterior horn tears can be repaired through standard ipsilateral or contralateral arthroscopy portals. The meniscal cinch assembly 100 may be placed through the contralateral or accessory contralateral portal for tears involving the body of the meniscus.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, many modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Accordingly, it is not intended that the present invention be limited to the illustrated embodiments, but only by the appended claims. 

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:
 1. A method of repairing a tear of a meniscus in a joint, comprising: providing a single instrument having a single handle and a push rod assembly having a pair of substantially parallel first trocar and second trocar; and a suture implant construct fully seated onto the push rod assembly, the suture implant construct comprising a first implant and a second implant, the first trocar having mounted on its external surface the first implant and the second trocar having mounted on its external surface the second implant, the first implant being connected to the second implant by a single strand of flexible material, the single strand of flexible material including a sliding knot, and wherein each of the first and second implants has a cannulation in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of each of the first and second implants and through which the single strand of flexible material connecting the first and second implants is inserted; subsequently, deploying the first implant attached to the second implant across the meniscal tear, and inserting the first implant in a first location distal to the meniscal tear; subsequently, deploying the second implant across the meniscal tear and inserting the second implant in a second location distal to the meniscal tear, the second location being adjacent the first location; and tensioning and removing slack in the single strand of flexible material after the first and second implants are inserted in the first and second locations of the tear by pulling on the single strand of flexible material to advance the knot in the meniscus.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second implant are positioned about parallel to a longitudinal axis of the meniscal tear.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second implant are positioned about perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the meniscal tear.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inserting the first implant in the first location further comprises flipping of the first implant for about 90 degree at the first location.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inserting the second implant in the second location further comprises flipping of the second implant for about 90 degree at the second location.
 6. A method of approximating tissue, comprising: providing an instrument with a single handle and a push rod assembly having a substantially parallel first trocar and second trocar; and a suture implant construct fully seated onto the push rod assembly, the suture implant construct comprising a first anchoring member mounted on the first trocar and a second anchoring member mounted on the second trocar, the first anchoring member being connected to a second anchoring member by a single strand of flexible material and a sliding knot, and wherein each of the first and second anchoring members has a cannulation in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of each of the first and second anchoring members and through which the single strand of flexible material connecting the first and second anchoring members is inserted; subsequently, inserting the first anchoring member at a first location in the tissue by releasing the first anchoring member from the first trocar and flipping the first anchoring member by about 90 degrees to become secured on an exterior surface of the tissue at the first location, and inserting the second anchoring member at a second location in the tissue by releasing the second anchoring member from the second trocar and flipping the first anchoring member by about 90 degrees to become secured on an exterior surface of the tissue at the second location, the first location being adjacent the second location, wherein the first anchoring member is connected to the second anchoring member by the strand of flexible material and the sliding knot; and tensioning and removing slack in the single strand of flexible material after the first and second anchoring members are secured on the exterior surface of the tissue by pulling on the single strand of flexible material to advance the knot in the tissue.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second anchoring members are deployed within the tissue in a vertical orientation relative to the tissue.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second anchoring members are deployed within the tissue in a horizontal orientation relative to the tissue. 